Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to surgical instruments, devices and/or systems for performing endoscopic surgical procedures and methods of use thereof. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to surgical instruments, devices and/or systems including an end effector that is able to articulate, rotate and have a limited amount of rotation.
Background of Related Art
During laparoscopic or endoscopic surgical procedures, access to a surgical site is typically achieved through a small incision or through a narrow cannula inserted through a small entrance wound in a patient. Because of limited area to access the surgical site, many endoscopic surgical devices include mechanisms for articulating or rotating the tool assembly or the end effector of the device.
In surgical instruments that are used to apply tacks or anchors having helical threads, for example, an additional challenge exists when attempting to rotate the end effector, as the tacks are also configured to rotate through the end effector, through a surgical mesh, and into tissue, for instance.
Accordingly, a need exists for tack-applying surgical instruments which include the ability for its end effector to articulate and rotate, while also limiting the overall amount of rotation to prevent the premature ejection of tacks and to prevent timing issues when attempting to eject tacks.